Author's notes: - Thank you so much for all the reviews. A special thanks to Beling for your many reviews for which I am truly grateful. I hope you all enjoy this next chapter and please if you have a few minutes review! All reviews are gratefully received. :-)

OOOOOO

Lord Elrond and he presumed most of those within Mirkwood was having a very bad day. Sauron's attack had been successful, too successful. Warriors were scattered throughout the forest, most were wounded and the majority were lost without means of finding their way out. With him he had twenty warriors, a mixture of dwarfs, elves and men. The tiredness and pains that affected all made them short tempered and already he had to stop one of the elves from hitting a dwarf over the head with the creatures own axe. He conceded that he was very close to doing the same to the particular dwarf but still to be effective, harmony had to be maintained. 'Effective?' his mind mocked. 'Even the great Lord Elrond is lost and what are twenty walking wounded going to do when we have no idea what is going on?'

Elrond sighed and was interrupted from his thoughts by angry elvish cursing.

"If you say another thing about Mirkwood's royal family I might have to remove your bearded head from your puny body!" One of the elves snarled. Before the dwarf could respond with an insult of his own Elrond turned to face them.

"Silence!" he snapped. "If we carry on like this we do not have to worry about the enemy we will kill ourselves. As for comments on the Mirkwood royal family they are to cease this instance. These elves are being decimated, slaughtered and their home is being destroyed. I think for the time being you can stop antagonising them and offer support."

To Elrond's amazement the dwarf looked chastised and even turned to help support a severely wounded elf. With a small smile of satisfaction he turned his attention back to the path. One of the Mirkwood elves joined him but his name eluded him.

"My lord we need to rest, we cannot continue for much longer before those who are more severely wounded collapse."

"I know but we have heard Nazgul, there are still wargs and orcs roaming the forest and we are in no fit state to fight off even one of these. We need to find a place of safety first."

The brown haired elf frowned in thought. "I am not too familiar with this area but I know that spiders frequent this part of the forest and therefore most dark places would be inhabited by them. I am sorry I do not know this area well for I was a healer in the palace" The elf apologised.

"There is nothing to apologise for my friend. This was not what any of us expected." The young elf smiled and then suddenly froze. His eyes widened and he fell forward collapsing on Elrond.

"What?" Elrond stuttered and he looked to see an arrow embedded in the elf's back. The bushes began rustling all around them and a hissing sound echoed through the trees. Shadowy creatures skittered across the branches...spiders.

"Well looky here what do we have before us? Dwarfs, men and elves! We'll be feasting tonight boys!" An orc said with glowing yellow eyes as it stepped out of the tree line.

"I say we should crawl, it may be undignified and pathetic but it would save us continually falling from such a height and knocking ourselves unconscious." A clear voice floated across the clearing from where a wounded elf and man sat in a heap.

Eomer looked at Azian and nodded. "If we want the enemy to die laughing as we crawl like babies maybe, but we are not getting very far."

"Indeed but whenever we get to wherever we are going we will be no use at all." Azian replied. Eomer frowned as he tried to make sense of the sentence, his concussion making his thought processes much slower.

"Yes." He replied. This time Azian frowned.

"Yes what?"

"What?"

"Why did you say yes?"

"To answer whatever you said!"

"But I did not ask a question?" Azian's head began to ache and he rubbed it gently.

Eomer looked mightily confused. "When?"

"When what?...Oh confound it I have forgotten the original conversation!" Azian muttered and glared at Eomer, who shrugged wide – eyed having no idea what the elf was talking about.

Eomer struggled to rise to his feet again pulling the exhausted elf to his feet.

"We have to keep going."

"Left" Azian said suddenly.

"What?" Eomer asked tiredly weary of another confusing conversation.

"Go to the left. I recognise where we are, we need to go to the left. About a mile that way is a look out post that is used by the patrols."

Eomer pulled Azian's arm tighter over his shoulder and turned. Azian sighed tiredly.

"Your other left Eomer." OOOO

Legolas felt Sauron being ripped from his body and mind but didn't even flinch. His soul was returned to him, intact but weakened and Legolas prepared to die. A hand began to smooth his hair much like his mother did when he had nightmares as a small elfling. He knew it was Gandalf, he knew even without hearing the words what the wizard was trying to do. Trying to convince him to stay, to come back and fight but Legolas was tired. Tired of fighting, tired of being beaten back as soon as he gained an ounce of freedom and tired of the pain.

He could not help his friends or his home. He was weak and death was his only solace.

Gandalf smiled briefly as the lightness returned to Legolas's soul and the darkness receded. It was a short lived smile as he turned his attention back to the young elf. Legolas had not moved but Gandalf could see in his eyes relief. 'He is going to fade' Gandalf thought suddenly. 'No Legolas, I will not allow it'. He moved to kneel next to the elf.

"I know you have no wish to remain here my young friend but we need you." Gandalf whispered softly stroking the young elf's hair with one hand and holding Legolas's hand in the other.

"You are the most wonderful creature and have made such a big impact in so many lives; we are at a loss without you Legolas."

Legolas made no movement or effort to respond. He was as Sauron said, catatonic and despite what Gandalf had said Legolas was still vitally important. The reappearance of Legolas would do the battle weary troops much good and especially that of Thranduil; he also had a further part to play in this battle according to the Valor. The soothing words were obviously not doing any good and as much as he hated to do it he needed to be hard with the prince, the fate of Middle Earth once again rested with the elf. Raising his hand he slapped the prince. He knew the prince could hear him, but he did not know whether Legolas was listening and he had to make him do so.

"You are a coward!" he snapped. "Death is just running away. You are abandoning your brothers, your father, Mirkwood, your friends. Get up!"

Legolas did not move.

"Do not let him defeat you. Where is the brave valiant elf that fought tirelessly to destroy the ring of power?" Gandalf squeezed the elf's hand. He opened his mouth to say more but Legolas's eyes snapped open. Gandalf felt a brief triumph but it was short lived. Legolas sat up and tightly grasped Gandalf's wrist.

"You know nothing and you have lied. Get out of my head!" Legolas snarled and with a shock Gandalf woke into his own body, where it had been placed by the elves to be treated for his injuries. The elven healer who was knelt over him jumped. The wizard moved to sit up but the healer pushed him back down.

"You were gravely injured Mithrandir you must rest."

"Get out of my way fool of an elf!" he snapped. "I must speak with Lord Aeolian." Despite the healers protests Gandalf struggled to his feet. The wizard had realised that although Legolas was free of Sauron he feared what he had awoken within the elf.

OOOO Gimli struggled fiercely with the ropes that bound his wrists but no matter how he twisted he could not free them even slightly. Sauron had disappeared leaving six orcs to guard him, shortly after an unconscious King Thranduil was dragged and tied up to a tree next to him. The elf king was still out and looked as though he would remain so for the foreseeable future. The sounds of battle that had once been so near had now drifted beyond that of his hearing.

"Struggle all you want dwarf but you will not escape. Although if you do we could have a little fun." One of the orcs crudely suggested.

"Aye a little fun I would have." Gimli agreed fixing the orc with a glare that promised vengeance.

The retort of the orc was lost as two beings burst unsteadily out of the tree line.

"We must have taken a wrong turning!" one of them exclaimed and then froze. The orcs surprised at the interruption grinned at the two wounded soldiers and raised their weapons. In his haste to withdraw his weapon, the man Gimli recognised as Eomer, let go of Azian, who fell to the ground with a thump. It was then that Eomer realised he carried no weapon. Cursing in every language he could think of he scrambled around and came up with a branch.

Azian pulled out a small knife and struggled to regain his footing. Gimli increased his struggles noting that his two friends were wounded and would have difficulty fighting the six orcs with poor weapons.

Hefting the branch Eomer moved to stand next to Azian and braced himself. The orcs charged with war cries in the black tongue echoing. The lead orc ploughed into Eomer swinging its sword. Eomer ducked and saw the orc stumble as it tried to regain its footing from its wild swing; the horse lord ploughed all its strength into belting the orc across the back of the head. It staggered and went down to its knees. A blow from another orc sent Eomer sprawling and he turned, rolling to the side to miss the death blow aimed at his head.

Azian slashed his small knife across the face of the first orc who roared its fury. With a quick flick of his wrist he brought it back across the throat of the orc. He did not have enough power to completely slit the creature's throat and kill it quickly, but it was still a mortal wound. Turning to meet the next orc Azian felt himself waiver in exhaustion. Out of the corner of his eye he saw Eomer rolling around on the floor in an attempt to miss the wildly swinging sword of one of the orcs.

"We are not going to win this." He muttered as he raised his arm again. As if to prove the statement correct the next orc hit his wrist hard and the knife flew from his grasp. It landed far too far for Azian to be able to regain it without breaking free and running for it, in his exhausted state remaining on his feet looked to be difficult enough.

The remaining orcs grinned as they saw that both of their pray were now unarmed and obviously weak. They drew back and encircled them wanting to savour this moment. Azian attempted to pull Eomer to his feet but his last remaining strength reserves failed him, he joined Eomer on the ground.

"Ready to die?" One of the orcs sneered.

"Ideas?" Eomer hissed. "None at all." Azian whispered. The orcs advanced raising their weapons high above their heads.

OOOOOOOOOOOOO